This paper deconstructs the myth of the 'naturally sober' woman by tracing its historical and cultural construction in the US across four time periods: colonial, nineteenth century temperance, Prohibition, and post-Prohibition eras. Using a feminist historiographical lens, we explore how gendered narratives obscured women's complex roles as alcohol consumers, producers, and distributors. Distinctions of class and space were crucial: working-class women's public drinking faced moral condemnation, while middle-class women's private drinking was often tolerated. We argue that these historical 'legacies' continue to structure contemporary anxieties about women's drinking, pleasure, and public visibility.